Short communication: Energy values and apparent total tract digestibility coefficients of copra meal and palm kernel meal fed to growing pigs

Abstract

To determine energy values and coefficients of apparent total tract digestibility (CATTD) of copra meal (CM) and palm kernel meal (PKM), 24 growing pigs were fed a corn-soybean meal basal diet and the basal diet replaced by 300 g kg-1 of either CM or PKM. Copra meal had higher CATTD of gross energy (12%), dry matter (DM; 13%), neutral detergent fiber (16%), acid detergent fiber (23%), and crude fiber (79%; P <0.05) than PKM. Copra meal had a slightly higher digestible energy (DE) value than PKM (14.08 vs. 13.01 MJ kg-1 DM; P=0.067), but metabolizable energy (ME; 13.33 vs. 12.83 MJ kg-1 DM), net energy (7.97 vs. 7.36 MJ kg-1 DM), and ME:DE ratio did not differ between CM and PKM. Therefore, compared with PKM, CM can be a better source of dietary energy in swine diets as evidenced by higher CATTD of energy and fiber components.